CaroTrans starts L.A. service to U.K./Europe

CaroTrans starts L.A. service to U.K./Europe    CaroTrans International has started all-water service from the Port of Los Angeles to the United Kingdom and Europe.
   The Union, N.J.-based non-vessel-operating common carrier’s new weekly service loads on vessels at Los Angeles and sails to the ports of London, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Bremen, and Hamburg before making the return voyage back to the U.S. West Coast.
   “This expansion of our service provides for a faster transit and less handling for our customers than we had previously provided for cargo originating in the U.S. West Coast and Pacific Northwest,” said Lueder Bitter, vice president of the West Coast region for CaroTrans.
   Cargo booked with CaroTrans for Northern Europe had been railed to Houston and then loaded onto vessels, while freight destined to Italy, Scandinavia, Ireland, Spain, Portugal or the United Kingdom went via New York.
   According to the NVO, the all-water service from Los Angeles avoids potential rail delays, results in less damage to cargo and is cheaper than a land-bridge service.
   “We are very optimistic about the success of this service, as long term projections are positive because of the weak U.S. dollar against the strong euro,” Bitter said. “Already, the volume of cargo we carry between the West Coast and Europe has increased over our past averages.”